Mom999

Hi,

I intend to bring my 2 teens 14 and 17 to East Coast USA. As they think the number of theme parks in Orlando is too overwhelming and they hope to do some sight seeing too. I am thinking to first land up north in NYC and spend 6 days in that area then move south to Orlando.

I need advice on:

1. Best flight itinerary. Should I arrive in NYC, Wash DC or Boston considering the tour itinerary and Orlando that I next adjourn to. I will be flying in to US from Singapore with 1-2 stopovers.

2. Suggestion on where to visit in NYC, Boston, Philidelphia and Wash DC? Niagara Fall is a must so is Lincoln Memorial, Stat of Liberty. Not keen on visiting the famous Univ. Is it a good idea to just visit these places buying tickets for the open top bus hopper? Is the Amish town worth a visit.

3. If my kids just want 4 theme parks, 2 from USO and 2 from WDW. Can you suggest 2 out of the 4 major WDW parks that will be more suitable for them. They have quite grown out of mickey mouse stuff and more into thrill rides fun.

TIA and hope to receive lots of advise as I am getting quite desperate to plan this out. We will arrive US in end Nov2014

nytraveler

OK - you are coming in late fall and it will be chilly/cold in the northeast - expect highs in the 40s (farenheit) and possibly lows in the 20s. this is too late in the year for Niagara Falls, some attractions will be closed for the season and there may well be snow in that area. There will be little point in going there and it will take 2 days out of the 6 you have in the northeast - just not worth it to see some freezing falling water.

Second - you are trying to fit WAY too much into only 6 days. To see NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, Niagara Falls and Amish country in 6 days is simply not possible. If you have 6 full days on the ground (7 nights) then pick 2 (TWO) if you actually want to see anything. Especially since days are so short this time of year and sights are often not open the extended hours they are in the summer.

If it were me I would fly into NYC, spend 3 days there, take the train to DC (about 5 hours) and spend 2.5 days there - then fly to FL and fly home from Orlando.

For specifics:

You MUST have advance tickets for the Statue of Liberty - you should get them NOW from the web site of the National Park Service - trying for the first ferry of the day. Even now it may be too late to get tickets to climb to the crown. And be sure you aren't carrying too much/anything not allowed - since security for the ferry to Liberty Island is similar to airline security. Get there at least 45 minutes in advance of your ferry departure time to be sure of getting on.

Not sure what "famous University" you are talking about - the cities you are talking about have numerous famous universities.

And it sounds like you may be coming around Thanksgiving - a holiday which is the 4th Thursday in November. This is the busiest tie of year for travel and you will find many flights already booked (university students typically book flights home as soon as they have their class schedules in order to get flights at best prices). Also this is a very busy and expensive time of year in NYC - esp for hotels - which you should reserve as soon as possible.

If here you will want to see the Thanksgiving Day parade - which attracts well more than a million viewers and is the official start of the Christmas holiday season.

Finally you need to have clothing appropriate for the weather. Although it's kind of early snow is possible from Boston down to DC (in NYC we have had 8 or 9 inches as early as the end of October). And you can plan on cold temps, rain and possibly sleet - so you will need winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves and waterproof boots with non-skid soles - as well as warmer pants and warm sweaters - esp for NYC and DC - which are walking cities.

I think you have the opportunity for a great vacation - but unless you are more selective in where you go you will end up spending much of your time in the northeast just sitting on planes and trains.

I will let others advise on FL since I am not a fan of theme parks.

Once you have considered all this you can come back with more questions about specific areas and people can give advice. Strongly advise you not to wait any longer to get hotels or flights in the US for that super busy time of yea.

vjpblovesitaly

In your first paragraph and title you make no mention of Boston or Washington, DC -- only NYC. So where exactly to you intend to spend your time? Are you considering going to Boston or DC in addition to the 6 days in NYC or are as part of the 6 days?

I am surprised you have not yet made your flight arrangements for this since it's only 2.5 months from now.

Also, you are coming here during Thanksgiving weekend. Amtrak train is recommended between DC and NYC and between NYC and Boston if you decide to go to those places. The rates will start out more expensive because of the holiday and only get more expensive the closer to the date. Do not consider driving between these locations during the last weekend of November.

"2. Suggestion on where to visit in NYC, Boston, Philidelphia and Wash DC? Niagara Fall is a must so is Lincoln Memorial, Stat of Liberty. Not keen on visiting the famous Univ. Is it a good idea to just visit these places buying tickets for the open top bus hopper? Is the Amish town worth a visit."

The above is discussed over and over. Surely you know more about NYC and DC than the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial. Niagara Falls is not in any of the locations you have mentioned already. What is "the Amish town"? Lancaster? and the famous University? Harvard? If you are going to Boston anyway, it is nice to visit there.

doug_stallings

If it were me, I'd land in Washington, DC, go next to Philadelphia, and finally to NYC. You can travel by train or bus, but train tickets are significantly cheaper if purchased more than 30 days out.

If you have not made hotel reservations, you will find late November to be one of the most expensive times of the year in NYC, so you'll have to pay about double what you might normally expect to pay. Thanksgiving is on November 27, and it's a very big travel holiday in the States, the biggest single travel holiday of the year. So November 26 is a really bad day to travel, as is Sunday, Nov. 30 (the 30th will be among the most crowded travel days on Amtrak or plane of the entire year). Make sure you are traveling other days.

The week before Thanksgiving is the busiest of the entire year in NYC, and many of the cheaper hotels are already sold out, so just be aware that it may be difficult to find accommodations for the three of you. Philadelphia and DC should not be particularly more expensive. This is a NYC thing because of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (and the week after has the lighting of all the Christmas lights here, so it's also madness). And it only gets more expensive and crowded here after Thanksgiving.

Orlando usually hits a lull for the first two weeks of December, so that's a good time to go there.

garyt22

As a foreign traveler, this is one instance where I would recommend contacting a travel agent to make all of your plan arrangements. they may be able to place you on a set tour involving the cities of interest and eventually get you to Orlando for the final leg of your trip.

Using a travel agent will help you to coordinate your travel through air, rail, bus and rental car, take care of your accommodations and rooms and also give you some interesting site tours and attraction tickets.

America is a large country and not knowing distances and times as well as the language can create a nightmare of a trip versus an organized tour that will help you and also in some instances provide language translation.

Please consider a travel agent to plan your trip.

BigRuss

1. Best flight itinerary. Should I arrive in NYC, Wash DC or Boston considering the tour itinerary and Orlando that I next adjourn to. I will be flying in to US from Singapore with 1-2 stopovers.

Only 6 days for Boston, NYC, DC and Philly is short. You need to cut somewhere and some sites. NYC area will have the most flights to Orlando.

2. Suggestion on where to visit in NYC, Boston, Phil[a]delphia and Wash DC? Niagara Fall[s] is a must so is Lincoln Memorial, Stat of Liberty. Not keen on visiting the famous Univ. Is it a good idea to just visit these places buying tickets for the open top bus hopper? Is the Amish town worth a visit.

You know your own interests and those of the kids. There are abundant resources on this site to tell you where to visit in these cities. The open top bus tours, to the extent they are available, are all expensive and get stuck in traffic. And in November, it won't be open-top weather.

What is "the famous Univ."? There are many famous universities in or near the cities you're going to go: Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Georgetown.

Niagara Falls is nowhere near Boston, NYC, Philly or DC - it's completely on the opposite side of New York state from the city - a 6.5 hour drive and then another 6.5 hour drive to Philadelphia from there. You need a map and to use the various google/yahoo/mapquest features that will tell you distances and drive times.

3. If my kids just want 4 theme parks, 2 from USO and 2 from WDW. Can you suggest 2 out of the 4 major WDW parks that will be more suitable for them. They have quite grown out of mickey mouse stuff and more into thrill rides fun.

Disney parks are NOT about thrill rides. The offerings are limited (Disney's website touts "thrill" rides that are just advanced kiddie rides) and the most "thrilling" (like Space Mountain) are not comparable to what you'd find at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey (probably closed on your dates) or Busch Gardens in Tampa. The two big coasters in Sea World Orlando would blow away anything at the Disney parks. The Disney parks are really "family" parks that cater primarily to small and mid-size children (3-8 years old).

The Universal parks have more "attractions" than rides but the Hulk and Rockit coasters are legitimate rollercoaster-fan quality coasters and there are more thrill offerings.

BigRuss

Two more quick points:

(1) Boston, Philly, and Washington DC are not in the NYC area.

(2) The best way to fly is by airplane - helicopters are more expensive and more dangerous. ;-)

J62

If Niagara falls is a must, then I see nothing wrong with visiting there in late November. Even if it is freezing flowing water, it is a lot of water over a big waterfall, an amazing sight in any season. I have no desire to go back there again, but I understand the desire to visit.

You could fly into Toronto with 1-2 stops, or Buffalo, NY with 2-3 stops.

From Niagara you could fly to NYC from Buffalo, train, or drive. There are probably flights from Buffalo into each of the 3 NYC area airports. Newark, JFK, and LGA. The drive will take about 8-9 hrs. Train longer.

The drive from Niagara to DC is actually shorter, so you could drive to DC, visiting Amish country enroute if you wish through Pennsylvania. Then bus/train from DC to NYC, then fly from NYC to Orlando. With limited days I would not add Philadelphia to the mix.

nytraveler

It would help if you could clarify if you want to spend 6 days in NYC - or if the 6 days include all those other places - which may seem to be close to NYC - but are in facts hours away - in the case of Niagara falls at least 8 or 9 hours away. Also you should know that the most dramatic sights are from the Canadian side - not the US - and you would then need (I believe) visas for multiple entries into the US and also a visa for Canada.

It may be that you are underestimating distances and travel times - but if you are thinking to do these other places as day trips from NYC it really doesn't make any sense - except Philly - which is a little more than an hour by train. the other places are just too far away for day trips.

If you can clarify that then it will be possible to give better advice.

BigRuss

>

The drive is about 7 hours if you drive the speed limit. The train takes 9.5 if it's actually on time.

nytraveler

No the drive to the Canadian side is longer than that - especially if you stop along the way to get a meal and fuel the car. And tht assumes there are no delays for weather (end November), traffic or accidents.

Also - many people don't like to drive 7 or 8 hours straight through without any rests to stretch legs.

Mom999

Thanks to Everyone of you who has responded to my post.

You have definitely brought my feet to the ground and help me to be more realistic with time and distance. So my more sensible plan now is to reach NYC on 29Nov and leave from Wash DC on 06Dec. That is total of 8 days but only about 6 full days for sightseeing. We wish to just do NYC and DC. From DC, we will fly to Orlando. So now I hope to go into a bit more detail.

1. I should take Amtrak to get from NYC to DC? Is Greyhound cheaper but takes much longer? Which one gives a more pleasant travel experience.

2. In NYC, can you hail a cab anywhere along the road or must you get to a taxi stand. Need to know this just in case I get very very lost.

3. I did think of using a travel agent as we prefer to be free and easy with time and choice of attractions. We prefer to spend more time at an attraction and enjoy it than to visit many places just for photos. I can plan my own itinerary but my biggest problem is transport. If I use public transport, can I survive on google map. In my country, google map is good enough for navigation anywhere. Also, are there any apps that is specific for NYC transport. That brings me to the next question.

4. Where can I get and what company SIM chip gives a good deal for internet data access. I think it will be helpful to have internet access for maps and transport when we are on the road. Can the SIM be used in different states?

5. Would it be a good idea to buy the NY City pass? I figure we most probably under utilize it as we may spend quite some time at each place.

6. Just not to stress myself, I think I will just do 2-3 attractions a day. I hope to stay somewhere where it is convenient to see most of the iconic places without having to spend too much traveling time. Is Manhattan the area? Pls let me know if there is anywhere that I should avoid accommodation for safety reasons.

7. I have 6 full days to see both NYC and DC. Should I do 4 and 2 or 3 and 3. I know this is a personal choice but is there more to see in NYC than DC.

I think this all for now. Thank you for taking time to answer my questions.

doug_stallings

Other than the travel days, I'd probably do 4 and 2 if you aren't deeply interested in museums but still want to see monuments.

The NYC pass will probably not be a good deal for you unless it includes all the exact things you want to see. You really have to hit more than 3 places a day to make it pay.

For transportation between NYC and DC, I tend to prefer Amtrak for comfort, but the bus (not necessarily Greyhound but rather Megabus or BoltBus) will be significantly cheaper. You might also look at the Royal Sprinter, a much more comfortable alternative. It costs $90, which can actually be cheaper than the train if you don't book your tickets in advance. Amtrak is significantly cheaper if you book more than 30 days in advance, and it's really expensive on NYC to DC routes if you wait until the last minute (a busy business route).

In both NYC and DC, you can hail taxis on the street, but in DC you may do better by using Uber (a smartphone app).

I can't help you with SIMs.

nytraveler

You could easily spend a week in each place - so I would make a list of the sights that are musts in each place and decide that way on how to decide the days.

Train is more comfortable and the schedule is more reliable. Amtrak NYC to DC is rarely late (except in a blizzard/hurricane). Buses are usually slower since they often run into construction, accidents or traffic (can be 30 minutes late of 3 hours). Bolt and Mega bus are cheaper but IMHO not worth it since your time is so tight.

Manhattan is definitely where you want to stay. All tourist areas in Manhattan are safe - but do be aware that renting apts short term (versus hotel) is illegal - although many are advertised. Those on Craig's list are often outright scams. And be aware that even paying by credit card may not protect you - since they cannot enforce illegal contracts (as in renting an apt not allowed).

If you give us a budget in US $ - and if you want one room or two (in NYC many rooms are one double bed for 2 people - rooms for 4 adults are less common and more expensive) people can make suggestions.

BigRuss

>

Amtrak will be more pleasant.

>

In Manhattan, you can't swing a dead cat on an avenue or two-way crosstown street (14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd) without seeing a cab.

>

There are apps for everything and NYC is too large a target not to be the subject of one. Go googling, check the Google play store, App Store, whatever.

As for your Sim question, google for this too - the non-majors like Virgin, metropcs, cricket, etc should have deals.

nytraveler

For traveling around NYC go to hopstop.com. You insert any two locations and will provide all options for transport between the two - subway, bus, cab, etc - and give you time and estimated cost.

tenthumbs

>Suggestion on where to visit in NYC, Boston, Philidelphia and Wash DC? <

What are your/your teens' interests? History? Art? Performances? Famous tourist attractions? Without knowing what all of you like, it's impossible to narrow down recommendations from the overwhelming choices in NYC and DC alone.

obxgirl

In both NYC and DC, you can hail taxis on the street, but in DC you may do better by using Uber (a smartphone app).

Cabs are easy to hail in DC. Uber works too.

Ackislander

If at all possible, I would do Washington and NY in reverse of your plans.

JetBlue flies from NY JFK to Orlando frequently and inexpensively if booked in advance, and they are BY FAR the most pleasant US airline.

Sassafrass

Good advice from Ackislander about seeing DC first.